I'll Be Friends With You, and You be Friends With Me
by XatLenore
Summary: Diamond Tiara is spoiled brat. Shes only 7-8 years old but already knows how to be a bully. Snails is 7 and has a mental disability, he is slow. Snails takes a liking to Diamond Tiara and the two become friends. The story follows the month before school starts and tells of the home life and short friendship between a brat and a pony with mental problems.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Diamond Tiara had her head cocked up as usual to prove that she thought of herself as the better pony. She sat on her high stool with a pillow on it to make it more comfortable. She looked back into her own eyes in the mirror in front of her beautiful blue eyes. Yes, she was pretty. Her coat was a gentle pink and her mane was a mixture of Whites and powdery colors. She coughed a bit as she picked up her perfumes and toyed with her jewelry. The diamonds and crystals in her necklaces and bracelets were all real. Her room was big and colored and decorated with girly colors and figures. Yes, she was spoiled.

She wasn't too old either, only a few years. She had a blank flank but didn't think much of it. She applied her eye makeup and stepped out of her room. She heard her parents arguing and discussing their work. She walked over to her mom and jumped up and down, "Mom mom! Can you ma-", "Not now Diamond, mommy's busy" her mom interrupted. Her mom was a unicorn and her father was an earth pony. She would have loved to be a unicorn instead of a half useless earth pony. Her mom handed her some money, "here go buy yourself some breakfast" said her mom as she jumped from phone to phone talking to other people.

Diamond Tiara lowered her head and took the money in her mouth. Picking up her purse and shoving the money in her fashionable purse, she stepped out of the door. She looked up into the sky and saw the amazing pastel sky. It was way after sun rise, since she spent a lot of time in the morning applying her make up. She kept her head stuck up as she walked with a bit of a strut. The ground was slightly wet from the rainstorm that happened the night before.

Then all of a sudden, SPLASH. Diamond Tiara was soaking wet, her mane flat out over her face and her eye liner running down. Her eyes were wide open as she looked over to see a strange looking orange pony with a snail for a cutie mark. He had a goofy laugh as he jumped around in other puddles. Diamond Tiara scoffed, "Uh! Excuse me?!" the strange and lanky pony turned his head and walked over, "yeah?" "What do you think you are doing?! I'm all wet!", "Aw jeez! I'm sorry!" the lanky pony started to run his hands around on Diamonds coat to try to dry it but only rubbed the dirt of his hoof's on it.

"Hey! Stop that, you!" she stepped back and growled. "Who are you anyway!?" snapped Diamond Tiara as she pulled a tissue out of her purse that was thankfully dry from the leather bag protecting it. She examined the new pony. She hadn't seen a pony like this or heard a pony talk like he does, with a slow slur and a bit of a stutter. His eyes were a beady black and his shape was all wrong. She noticed he had a horn so he was a unicorn. The unicorn replied with a bit of a bow, "I am Snails!", "Snails?", "Snails!", "I never heard of a pony names Snails, before.", "Well yeah you did," "Um….Excuse me?", "You just did!"

Diamond Tiaras glare stayed, not at all impressed. But at the back of her mind she wondered why this pony acted and looked the way he did. He didn't seem too effected by her mean replied of glares. She scoffed, cocked her head up and walked away, Snails followed. "So whats your name?" Snails asked, following close behind. Diamond muttered out, "Diamond Tiara" Snails smiled, "That's a pretty name! But why aren't you wearing one?", "Wearing a what?", "A diamond tiara'

She let out another annoyed growl and ignored him and thought to herself_, "whats this jerks deal?"_ Snails simply walked behind her and smiled enjoying the company of a filly his age. He kept asking questions, "where are ya goin, Diamond?" Diamond Tiara looked behind him, "to the nearest café to get some breakfast," Snails jumped up and down as she followed her, "Café? Wow I never been to a café before!" Diamond stopped and sighed, letting her head down and turned all the way around to face him, "Look kid-", "Snails!", "…..Look Snails, why've you been following me around?" Snails perked up his large ears and shook around a bit in excitement, "Because I was hoping we could splash around in the puddles together,", "Oh yeah?", "Yep! And then maybe we could hang out again and do other things!"

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, "Pff…almost sound like being friends." Snails smiled and nodded multiple times really fast, "that's right! Friends! I'll be friends with you, and you with me!" Diamond Tiaras glare turned to confusions, "Don't you have other friends?" Snails smile turned to a frown and his ears bent back and he lowered his head dramatically, "I don't really have any friends…" Diamond Tiara didn't feel any sympathy. Probably because no one ever feels sympathy for her since she was so mean half the time.

The pink earth pony looked around and saw a few fillys their age walking around, "why not try to be friends with any of these ponies?" Snails looked around, "all these…well…they don't treat me like a real pony…" Diamond Tiara tilted her head and started walking again when she felt her stomach grumble. Snails followed. "What do you mean they don't treat you like a pony?" Snails trotted up to walk next to her. "They all treat me like a foal- but I understand why because I AM a foal but…They're all sympathetic and full of pity. You talk to me like I'm actually a normal pony." Diamond Tiara scrunched her eyes together in confusion again, "Why do they treat you like that?", "Probably because I talk and act this way but I can't help it."

Diamond Tiara just let out a little "hm" since she didn't really know how to reply to that. She knew deep down he had some type of disability but she wasn't sure. She never met a pony with downs or Asperger's syndrome or anything like that. She decided to nonchalantly ignore it. Finally she got to the café and walked in with Snails close behind. A powdery purple colored unicorn with a grey mane stood a the counter, "Hello again Diamond Tiara!" said the calm but happy unicorn.

"And whos your friend?" she asked, her tone suddenly becoming more friendly when she saw Snails. Snails smiled back, "My names Snails!" the earth pony announced happily. The powdered unicorn smiled, "and what a lovely name that is!" Diamond noticed what Snails meant a moment ago about ponies treating him differently. She cashier was treating Snails with too much fake smiles and giggles. Diamond cleared her throat to get the attention back to her. The cashier looked back, "oh sorry, and what can I get for you?"

…..

After a loud and long breakfast at the café with Snails, Diamond tiara decided to walk back home. Of course, Snails followed close behind. Snails kept asking her questions in his slurred and always shouting voice. He followed her all the way to her house. Diamond Tiara was almost about to snap when she got to her door when Snails was constantly talking. She turned around and snapped, "Goodbye Snails! GO HOME!" Snails looked around, "uh…can we play again tomorrow," Diamond Tiara lied, "I'm busy", "Ok I'll help you with whatever you're doing then?" he asked, bouncing up and down again. Diamond Tiara growled again in annoyance before she sighed and gave up, "fine…" then before Snails could reply she turned and ran into her house.

Snails stayed on her doorstep for a long time in case she came back out. After about 10 minutes he walked home with multiple overwhelming thoughts in his mind. Good ones, bad ones, joys and woes and what he was going to do with his new friend tomorrow


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Snails walked home with multiple thoughts on his mind. He seemed to think of two things at once half the time since his mind would always wonder more than any other pony. He thought of Diamond Tiara, then he thought of her pink coat, which lead him to think of the orange and pink sky above him, making him think of how Pegasus can fly. Many people's minds wonder like this, but Snails's mind wanders more longer. A pony his age could ponder the whereabouts of his fellow friends, the shows he enjoys watching, all the things in ponyvill that was his favourite colour (which was orange).

The weather in Ponyvill always seemed to be rather warm, not too warm and not too cold. Around this time where Celestia is lowering the sun, it becomes slightly chilly. Snails quivered in the cold breeze, making his mane rustle. Trotting a bit faster, Snails ran over to his house. His house, or whatever you'd call it, was tiny and broken down. Not with broken windows or anything like that. It had the paint on the sides peeling and there was traces of graffiti on it. It was tiny, too tiny for a family of 3. His house resembled a spray painted tin can lid on its side, with a door and a few tacky windows cut into it.

In the backyard was a broken swing and a few dead trees. He gave the broken swing a dopey smile and walked into his house where his mom instantly wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She yelled out in a slightly over dramatic way, "Oh Snails! My sweet little ball of sunshine oh how I missed you! Goodness it has become so late I never- I thought you had run off or you got lost again! Oh I don't know what I would ever do!" Snails' mother was aggressively petting down Snails' long neck as she spoke almost crying.

"Hi Mommy!" Snails yelled in a muffled voice from his mom's arms. Snails' mom finally let him go of her suffocating hug and he stepped back. He smiled at his mother. His mom was a tall, minty green mare with a neon purple mane. Her teeth looked a bit yellow, on her lips had a bunch of tiny cuts that were covered with make-up, and her eyes always had a bit of bloodshot in them. She was pretty though. Back before she had her kids, Snails' mom was well known around ponyvill. She was known as the pretty mare with the purple mane. Not a appealing name, doesn't really slide off the tongue, but that was her name.

The pony that helped, the kind, gentle pony. The pony whose looks would win any beauty contest, the pony who was brave, bold but modest, the pretty mare. The pretty mare with the purple mane. Now, people knew her as the pony with the two slow kids. The mare who lost one of her kids to a foster home. The mare with the STD on her lips, also making her the mare that sleeps around. The mare who was deathly thin and smelled like drugs. The mare with the greasy faded mane.

Snails loved his mom. No matter how many times she leaves for weeks on end, or how many times she brings home random people then tells Snails to leave. No matter how many times shes given him toys and candy instead of her love and attention. He loved her. Her cutie mark was the letter A. She was amazing at spelling when she was a filly. She wishes her special talent was something else, like her talent for cooking or watercolour paintings. Instead she did her talent for spelling first, and got that as her cutie mark. She always tells Snails never to hurry to get it, make sure its something he loves doing. Or something no one else would be good at to make him special.

Snails had his cutie mark before he could even talk. It started with a day at the park. Him and his brother Snips were on the grass, his mother sat on a picnic table. Snails picked up a snail and giggled. A flash of light when on his flank and there was a frowning snail there. His mother frowns upon that day, but keeps telling him he'll get another talent. And he has. Math.

Snails sat at the table hungry, eating multiple coloured candies. He emptied it out on the table and said, only looking at the pile for a second, "3 blues, 8 oranges, 5 purples, 2 blues and 7 reds" and continued eating. His mother smiled hearing him speak as she fixed him some canned tomato soup in the kitchen. She put the tomato soup in a pot and let it cook. The house was quiet. All anyone could hear was Snails talking to himself and laughing at nothing. 5 months ago, Snips was up on the counter and refused to get down. After a while he tripped and his mother tried to help him, she grabbed his arm in a pathetic attempt to catch him, the force of him falling made him pop it out of the socket and he screamed.

When they got to the hospital the doctors noticed all the bruises and cuts on the two little ponies. Being slow, Snips and Snails get hurt a lot and often fall down stairs. The doctor asked Snails to wait outside so he could talk to the rest of the family. After a long time at the hospital and Snails waiting outside, Snips was taken away. Alone in the house was the mother named Piper Wicks, Snails and his older sister named Cold Front. Cold Front was older than the rest of them, she wasn't home.

Snails shoved the candies into his mouth and yelled out to his mom, "I made a friend today!"

Piper smiled, carrying the pot by the handle in her mouth, "I shee" she said with a lisp caused by the pot. She put it down in front of him and Snails age it with his hoofs. "Who is it?" she asked as she sat down across from him with a smile. Snails replied with his mouth full of bread and tomato paste, "Shes a really pretty filly! Shes so pretty too! And she is really nice and she eats at the cafe and shes really pretty!" he said, making bits of bread fall out of his mouth. Piper smiled, "sounds like you got a nice friend there! Maybe a crush too?" she said giggling.

Snails scrunched up his face, "eeew! No way! Fillys are yucky anyway!", "But you said she was pretty", "Well...shes less gross I guess." Snails said, correcting himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Diamond Tiara woke up and was welcomed by the usual sight of her slightly messy house. The lights were off and her parents were out. She walked over to the table and climbed up the chair and saw on the table a note.

"Dear, Diamond Tiara. We're out, here's 20 bits, order food if you get hungry. Won't be home until late."

"As usual," she said in her snobby voice. She jumped down from the chair and walked over to the TV and turned it on. Nothing was on and she sighed. She wondered when her parents left. Not when they were going to come back or where they were, frankly she didn't care anymore. Diamond Tiaras parents leave the house a lot. They give her money whenever she goes to ask for advice from them or want to generally spend time with her parents. Over time she stopped caring about them. Or about anyone. She learned she should only care about herself.

She sighed and got up off the couch and walked into her room. Climbing up stools was a bit tough being so short but she managed. She sat on her stool and looked at her body. She examined her flank for any trace of a cutie mark. With a sigh she sat back down after seeing nothing. She looked into the mirror at her face. She bit her lip and looked around her room. She saw stuffed toys, posters, her princess style bed and a lot of pink. She was bored. Clearly.

She climbed down from her stool and walked over to the kitchen where she would find no food. Her jewelry clanked together as she walked. Walked past the kitchen to the back door and left her house. She missed her friend Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon's parent were divorced, during the summers she would spend her days and nights at her fathers. The pink pony walked down the streets and noticed the puddles. They reminded her of Snails.

Letting out a scoff she raised her head and kept walking. After a few minutes she realized she couldn't get Snails out of her mind. How he would react so positively to her snobby remarks. How others treated him or how happy he was. She thought of his goofy laugh and giggled to herself as she walked. The pink filly walked down the dirt road to near to school. After a while she stopped under the nearest street lamp. She sighed and thought about her parents. How they were never home. Her eyes teared up a bit and she closed her eyes.

"Why are you crying, pretty filly?" she heard Snails voice. She lifted her head and looked over to the side and saw the tall orange pony next to her. She gave him a scowl but couldn't hold back her tears as they started to bead in her eyes and roll down her face. Diamond Tiara looked at Snails, Snails smiled back at her.

"Don't touch anything," Diamond Tiara said as she opened the door, letting Snails into her home. "Where are your parents?" Snails asked, snooping around the living room. Diamond Tiara walked into her room and Snails followed behind her. Diamond Tiara didn't answer and kept walking into her room. When Snails walked into her room his eyes widened up. The colors pink and purple were everywhere, the expensive perfumes and jewelry. Snails let out a huge gasp at all the nice things. "You got a lot of nice things Diamond Tiara!" he said in a shout. Diamond Tiara, her face still in a scowl, nodded a bit.

"I don't have a lot of nice things, you're lucky!" he said, still shouting everything he was saying. Diamond Tiara looked back at him after climbing up on her princess bed. "I guess, my parents give me money all the time, so I get to buy myself cute stuff. This is the only jewelry I have that I wear all the time, theres just too much for me to wear I can never choose," she said pointing up at her tiara. Snails tilted his head overdramatically to the side and said, "that's your only tiara?" Diamond Tiara noded. "Hmm…ever try making one?" asked Snails, getting up on the stool in front of the pink fillys mirror. His horn had a blue glow and the diamonds in the basket on her desk levitated around him.

The pink earth pony bit her lip in jealousy seeing his horn glow. She didn't have a horn, she wanted one. It wasn't fair that a slow pony could have one yet she, the cutest, greatest filly of them all, and aside from Silver Spoon, didn't have one. She bit her lip at it and decided to ignore the burning jealousy in the pit of her stomach when she remembered he was slow and she wasn't. Maybe she was better off. "Why don't you try making one? You have at least…" he paused for a second and said in a almost monotone voice, "Three blue, one red, two pink and five green diamonds here."

"Surprised you're good at math…let alone anything," Diamond Tiara said in a brat way. Snails ignored it and took it as a compliment, "Aw shucks! Thanks" he said in a goofy voice. He levitated the diamonds over to the bed where she sat and trotted over. He looked around again and went to her closet after dropping the diamonds on the bed. As he trotted his mane bounces up and down. He opened the closet revealing at least a hundred pretty dresses and saddles. Diamond Tiara jumped down from her bed, "Hey! What're you doing!?" she trotted up behind him and pushed him away, "Do not touch my clothes, you jerk!"

Snails tilted his head, letting his mane fall to the side almost gracefully. His oversized droopy eyes showed his confusion, "I just want a coat hanger. You got a lot of pretty clothes there, Diamond Tiara" Snails said as his horn started to glow again as he levitated a wire coat hanger out and put it on the bed. Each time he'd use his horn, the glow would come out the end like spurts, and then it would gloop down the sides. As soon as Diamond Tiara noticed how ungraceful his magic was, unlike every other pony, she didn't feel as jealous anymore


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Diamond Tiara bent the wire coat hanger around to make it into the form of a tiara. Snails smiled and bounced up at down as she fiddled with the diamonds and poorly made tiara. Diamond Tiara wasn't sure why she was listening to this retarded pony. She felt like he knew what he was doing though. She picked the blue diamond up with her hoof and pushed it into the bent up part on the top. With a bit of a grin she examined the tiara she made. It wasn't the best, but it looked reasonably good. She heard Snails gasp and she looked around.

On her flank appeared a cutie mark. A diamond tiara. A grin spread across her face as she examined it. She bounced up and down and started to laugh and cheer to herself. Snails bounced around with her, acting just as happy. Diamond Tiara looked at Snails, "How did you know?" Snails laughed a bit, still bouncing around. Diamond Tiara put her hand on his back to try and stop him. She had a continuous smile. Snails spun around a few more times and said in his always shouting voice, "I knew you'd get your cutie mark because of tiaras! It's in your name," he said in a almost mocking tone.

Diamond Tiara tilted her head in confusion making her mane sway to the side beautifully. She pointed at his flank, "A snail….because your name is Snails?" she asked. Snails' ears drooped down a bit. He felt a lump in his throat. He mumbled, "y-yeah…" Diamond Tiara walked to the mirror and jumped onto the stool and admired her cutie mark. She felt her cutie mark with her hoof, then felt her tiara. Then her forehead. She sighed, "I wish I was a unicorn." she said out loud, more so to herself. Snails looked up at her from the floor, "Why?"

She shrugged and said to him, still looking at herself in the mirror, "Because it seems like they get it easier." Snails scrunched his eyes up in a bit of frustration at her comment. He said to her, "we get it easier?" he said feeling a bit of anger in the pit of his stomach. She turned her head and saw Snails sitting on the floor looking up at her. Her eyes widened at the sight of him having a scowled on his face. She always seen him with the same dopey smile. "You think I have it easy or something just because I got this here bone sticking out of my head?" he asked louder.

Diamond Tiara looked down at him and muttered out, "Well…n-no its just unicorns have magic and can levitate things," "How does that make my life any easier? Do you have any idea what it's like being like this? Being called a retard every day? Living in a rundown trailer with my mom who is barely home, never seeing my brother only at school, having to cover my ears every night to avoid the crying of my mother every night….My cutie marks a snail and I don't even know what that means, snails are slow so is my special talent being retarded?! My special talent should be math or at least something that doesn't mock me every day…just having a horn like this one doesn't make my life any easier than yours." Snails spoke in a shout, not like his usual shouting voice, in a sad and angry one. Tears in his eyes grew and fell down his cheeks and hit the floor.

Diamond Tiara jumped down from her stool and replied to him, "I never said that! And what, you think you're the only pony in Equestria that has problems? Do you know the last time my parents said they loved me?" she paused. Her eyes beaded with tears as she spoke to Snails. Her voice started to quiver as she continued, "When I was 4. Over the phone. That's 3 years ago. I have all kinds of nice things because my parents just give me money instead of love and affections. And know what? I'd trade it all away, I would give it away if it meant my parents would at least pat my head and say, 'good job sweetie' or a simple 'goodnight' instead of what they always do. Give me bits and tell me to leave,"

Snails bit his lip as the tears fell down his cheeks in a constant stream. Diamond Tiara continued, "And…And why do I have to cry about this? Why do WE have to cry about this stuff? Why can't we cry about what everypony else cries about like…not having a special somepony or failing classes-why can't we cry about not owning the latest games or not being able to eat a sugar cube corner?"

A long silence fell between the two ponies. Diamond Tiara and Snails stood there looking at each other. Soon enough Snails gave Diamond Tiara a tight, almost suffocating hug. After a few moments she hugged him back. Diamond Tiara said in a soft whisper to herself, "It's just not fair, Snails" Snails hugged her a bit tighter, "It'll get better, Diamond Tiara"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Diamond Tiara and Snails fell asleep on the floor. It was at least 3 in the morning when her parents came home to find her asleep on her bedroom floor next to Snails. Her mom nudged Snails to wake him up and he sat up quickly and said ,"huh what?" her mom mumbled, "Ya gotta leave…Diamond Tiara who is this?" she asked Diamond Tiara as she slept. Snails rubbed her face to wake her up and she eventually pushed him back, "Screw off Snails…" her mom sighed. Diamond Tiara looked up to see her mother standing over her. "Oh mom I got my cutie mark today! Look look!" Her mom looked over at her flank and said in a monotone voice, "huh…neat. So who is this?"

"This is Snails…he's…" she paused for a while and looked at Snails, with his dopey smile, then up at her mom with the usual non impressed glance. She looked at Snails and smiled, "he's my friend." Snails smiled wider, the grin spreading from ear to ear. Her mom sighed and said, "oh..ok. So yeah he gotta leave. No stallions over at night," Snails instantly got up and left. Diamond Tiara watched her mom turn and leave. She sighed and crawled up into her bed and buried herself under the blankets.

Snails came home half an hour later. No one attacked him with a suffocating hug like usual, his mom was either out having sex or in the house sleeping. With a grin he climbed onto the couch and slept. He was awoken in the morning by his mother in the kitchen making breakfast for him. "Someone was out last night!" she said, hearing him get up off the couch. "I was at my friends house!" he replied as he walked into the kitchen. His mom made him some eggs and some orange juice.

"So you and her are really setting it off then?" she asked with a giggle. Snails scrunched his eye up again, "Mooooooom! It's not like that! Eeew!" he said as he ate the food with his hoofs. His mother sat across from him, putting a tray of toast in between her and her son. It had way too much peanut butter on the slices. She politely shoved the piece with the most crust into her mouth. She had no make-up to cover her mouth this morning.

After she finished eating she got up and went into the bathroom, leaving Snails alone at the table. Piper stood in front of the messy mirror and looked back at herself. She sighed and layed her head forward so her face was in front of the sink. Closing her big beautiful, yet droopy and bloodshot eyes. She could hear Snails in the kitchen knocking over glasses and trying to clean up for her. A tiny smile and a chuckle came from her, she felt the cuts opening on her lip as she smiled.

(8 years ago)

Piper sat in a circle of other filly's her age. They passed around a pipe with a powdery white substance inside of it. A blue filly sat next to her, she levitated the pipe infront of him and inhaled the smoke coming the mouth piece. Then she passed it to her. She took it in her hoofs, "I won't get addicted will I?" she said, putting her hand on her stomach and rubbed it, "it won't hurt my baby will it?"

"C'mon Piper, no one's ever died from Tripocane." Said a purple and black older filly sitting across from her. The filly next to her levitated it out of her hoofs, "now Piper, you don't have to do it, remember. If you really don't want to you don't have to." She said. Piper reached up and took it, "nah nah its cool." She said, and lit up a match.

Piper looked through her dresser and drawers for money. After only finding 8 bits she called out to Snails, "Snails, baby! I need your help~" she called out in her motherly tone. Snails walked into the bathroom with a facecloth on his head. She giggled and took it off him, "Honey can you go out for a while? A few hours at least?" she said as motherly as she could. Snails knew deep down she was up to something but ignored it and nodded multiple times fast and walked out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

~*Three Weeks Before School*~

Diamond Tiara was sitting in her house on her stool putting her make up on. She jumped down and tripped up, her clumsiness reminding her of somepony. She heard a knock at her door, she suspected Snails to be there with his dopey constant smile and saggy eyes. Snails still annoyed her, he still got on her nerves and he still made her angry. She opened the door and saw exactly what she expected.

Snails stood there, tall and lanky with his dumb expression. Diamond pretended to not care that he came around, "Oh...and what do you want, Snails?", "I'd like to play,", "So?", "I wanna play with you! You wanna play with me!?"

Diamond Tiara sighed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I kinda got other things to do." Snails walked into her house as he replied, "I'll help you then!" Diamond Tiara was used to Snails walking into her house even when he wasn't invited to come in by now. She turned around, "Snails, why is it every day you gotta come to my house?" Snails looked around her living room, examining whatever new things was in there. As he looked around he replied to her, "Because you never come to my house and play, you can come if I invite you though!"

"Why?" she asked, while quickly adding in, "Not like I even want to..." Snails slowed down on his head turning and stuff grabbing and replied with a half monotone voice, "Because every day when mommy's mane gets a bit messier she locks herself in her room and makes a mess," he continued as he lifted up a magazine with his horn and looked at the pony in the cover, "then she invites stallions into her room and they wrestle..." he placed the magazine back down and looked around on the couch for loose bits, "then the stallion will leave and mommy stays in her room and cries for a long time..."

Diamond Tiara's ear twitched as he explained. Her stomach started to turn a bit as he continued speaking, "Then she goes to the bathroom then comes out and sniffs the air a lot and doesn't talk..." Snails levitated a plant and brought it towards him and picked the dead leafs off. As he explained he had a tiny fake smile on his face, "Then she sleeps. She says when these days come around nopony can be in the house," Diamond Tiara tilted her head, "not even you?" she asked. Snails nodded multiple tines really fast, "I'm a pony, aren't I?"

Diamond Tiara frowned, "Thats not what I meant you bo-zo..." she walked past him towards her room, Snails walked closely behind her, close enough that he stepped on the back of her hoofs a few times. Diamond walked into her room and bucked the door to shut it. Snails jumped in before she could close it all the way. He sat his plot down on the floor, Diamond Tiara sat up on her bed. Snails looked over at her and tapped his hoofs together, "Hey, am I invited to your Cutesiniera?" he asked.

She looked back down at him, confused, "My what? What the heck is that even?", "Its a party your parents would throw you to celebrate you getting your cutie mark," Diamond Tiara's eyebrows lowered and she said calmly, "My parents don't have time to throw me parties..."

Snails ears perked up all the way, his eyes widened and his black pupils shrunk and he yelled, "THEY NEVER THROUGH YOU A PARTY?!" Diamond Tiara flinched at how loud he screamed. She screamed back, "Sweet Celestia Snails! Shut up!", "Ahh..sorry. But really?"

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, "Yeah ok? Sheesh, get over it." Snails stood up, "How old are you?" Diamond Tiara replied in a monotone voice. Not caring at all, "Like...8", "You never had a birthday party?" Diamond Tiara replied, "N-Nooo?"

Snails stood up and yelled, "In three days!" she bent her ears back at his scream, "what?" Snails pointed his hoof at her, "Come to my house in three days! I'm throwing you a birthday party! And...And uh..." he looked around, "I'll...I'll even throw you a Cutesiniara!" he turned around and ran out.

Diamond Tiara frowned and sighed in frustration. Hearing the door slam open then shut.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Diamond Tiara paced on her carpeted floor. She had her saddle bag tied on her as she paced back and forth. Contemplating if she could go to Snails or not. She wasn't sure if she remembered where he lived. She could barely remember him telling her much. He remembered saying they lived in a trailer with a broken swing. She knew where the trailer park was. With a final pace, she decided to go.

As she walked down the road she saw many things that brought back her memories. She saw the place where Snails first splashed her. She couldn't help but warmly chuckle at the memory. She instantly scoffed and raised her head, trying to keep her personality in order. She walked closer to the trailer park.

The whole place had a dark cloud look over it. Everything about the park looked down. Many single young mares with foals and filly's lived in that place. This helped gather and clarify her theory about Snails home life. She knew he didn't have a dad. Her eyes searched for a broken swing, trying to find his house, maybe even to find him at least.

After a while the sight of the broken swing caught her eye. She trotted up to the door and knocked. She heard things falling and things tipping as she heard two sets of hoofs trot towards the door. Snails and Piper, his mother, opened the door and both greeted her happily with a smile and a rather loud, "Hello!"

Already she could tell she had to be patient with the evening, but on the inside she felt her heart get warmer. She was never welcomed into a house before. Piper instantly brought her in. "My names Piper, I'm Snails' mom, its so nice to meet you." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, "yeah yeah..."

"Whats your name?" asked Piper, still smiling. Diamond wasn't too surprised, the mother of the child who never reacted to her mean comments. She mumbled, "I'm Diamond Tiara." Piper stomped her hoofs to applaud her, "what a lovely name! Also, congratulations on your new cutie mark. Its quit the special one. Could you maybe make me a tiara one day?", "Maybe, I dunno..."

Piper and Snails leaded her to the table where Snails sat her down on a rickety chair. He then ran into the kitchen, following his mom. Diamond got the chance to glance around his house now. It was run down and smelled bad. Everything seemed to be somewhat damp and dusty. There was a surprising lack of furniture. She sighed, not impressed at all. She tried remembering what his mother looked like. Wondering what the cuts around her mouth was, why she smelled like drugs and if she really did what Snails said she did. From the description, his mother sounded mean and snappy. She was actually one of the nicest mothers shes ever seen.

Piper walked in and slammed a tiny cake in front of Diamond Tiaras face. Snails levitated two others above him and gently put it down in front of her as well. Piper brought in more cakes and in the end, there was 8 in front of her.

"Why...Why?" she asked, in a semi-mad tone. Confused and a bit angry, more so confused. "There! 8 cakes! One for every birthday." Piper replied, with a louder voice. Diamond Tiaras eyes watered a bit, she blinked a few times to dry and dry them. Being treated with kindness, being given a birthday cake, being welcomed at the door by ponies who actually express that they want her around. Snails sat next to her and Piper sat across her, resting her cheeks no her hoofs and smiled.

"Snails told me his best friend never had a party before. So we decided to throw you a party ourselves for the ones you never had." Diamond Tiara smiled a bit. She couldn't hold back her smile now, letting it spread across her face as she looked at the older mare and the foal.

Snails took a huge bite out of one of the cakes, Piper tapped him in the back of the head, "Hey! Don't take the first bite of cake, thats the birthday girls job." Snails tiled his head and spoke with his mouth open, letting bits of food fall out, "I thought it was the Cutie Mark one with the Cutesiniara,"

"Oooh...Sorryyyyy Diamond Tiaraaaaa!" he said. Diamond Tiara took a bite of cake, it was amazing. She never ate cake, only at a friends party. "I..I never knew that either..." she mumbled. Piper smiled and replied, "You know now!"

The night was full of laughter, awkward silences, and heart warming smiles. The whole time, Diamond Tiara felt the joy of something she never had. A family that cared about her. Feeling welcomed and having company.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

~'10 Days Before School Starts'~

Diamond Tiara sat outside her house, waiting for her weekly visitor to walk by and annoy her. Without any doubt he wouldn't, Snails was seen in the distance trotting towards her house. Diamond Tiara gave him the usual, snobby welcome and they went into her empty house.

Snails sat on the floor like always, as Diamond Tiara sat on her bed. Snails broke the silence, he lid onto his back and let the carpet scratch behind his head. He let out a silent coo with a smile and looked over to Diamond Tiara, "I love you Diamond Tiara." Diamond Tiara shot up and turned her head towards him fast enough to let her mane flow, she screamed, "WH-WHAT?!"

Snails shook his head, "No no no! Not in a crush way or in the sex way," he corrected himself, "I love you as a friend." Diamond Tiara calmed a bit down. She tilted her head then just shook it, "Whatever..." she said as she lid back down. He stood up and brushed the lint off of himself, "But...we're not gonna be friends when school starts..."

She sat up again, "Why not? What the heck?!" she said. She never really expressed her enjoyment of Snails friendship. She jumped down onto the carpet in front of him, "What do you mean we won't be friends?!" Snails stepped back a bit in fear, but replied, "If ponies see you hanging around somepony like me...well...just think of how you'll be treated...besides you have Silver Spoon...a-and I have Snips."

Diamond Tiara lowered her head a bit. She let out a quiet, "oh...right..." and looked towards the window. It was still daylight out. She looked back at Snails. He looked back at her too. "But we still have like...what 8 or something days left? We can be friends then too right?" Snails smiled and nodded. She continued, "ah...fine." she crawled back up onto the bed.

The room was quiet again. Nopony was saying anything, only the sound of Snails breathing unreasonably loud like he always does. "You're moms really pretty." Diamond Tiara said, thinking about her visit "She is very pretty..." said Snails, sounding as if he was tired or distracted.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Piper let out a long, long sigh. A black stallion left her room, leaving 30 bits on the table next to her. She lid on the bed, staying on her back. She sat up on the bed and crawled backwards off of it and went into the bathroom. Turned on the shower and stood in the spray. Another sigh came out, feeling her mascara run down her cheeks and the grease come off her mane. She turned around and got whatever fluids left off of her and let the shower spray rush onto her back. She smiled at the thought that she'd be home alone again once school would start.

Her slow son would be with his slow brother again. She smiled a bit softer thinking about how she could take more of the Tripocane. She licked her lips and walked out of the shower, not bothering to dry off, nopony was home. She opened the cabinet and took out a blue-ish white powder. She put it in a home-made pipe and lit a match.

Moments later, she was lying on the couch like a dead body, not moving. Only her chest lifting and lowering as she breathed. Her pupils large, yet quivery. Rolling slowly off the couch and onto the floor. Snails opened the screen door and walked over. He giggled, "Ha ha! Mommy fell asleep on the floor!" he said and walked over, "come on mommy wake up! You can't sleep on the floor, you dummy!" he nudged his hoof against her shoulder. She didn't move.

"Mommy come on, wake up!" he poked his hoof on her again. He started to panic, "M-Mommy? Mommy come on get up! You...You gotta get up come on!" his eyes started to tear up with panic. He started shaking her as hard as he could, yelling now, "Mommy! Wake up! Come on! Wake up!"

Diamond Tiara sat on her bed when she heard someone slam into her house. She heard the stumbling hoofs get closer to her room, she felt a bit of feat until she saw Snails burst into her room screaming. Her heart raced in panic, never seeing Snails like this before. He screamed nonsense, words clashing together making him speak utter gibberish. Diamonds heart dropped when she heard him say "Piper"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Diamond Tiara and Snails sat on opposite sides of the hospital bed. Lying in the bed was Piper. Her mane sprawled across the pillow. The IV in her arm with a hospital's gas mask over her mouth. Snails didn't have a dopey smile. Diamond Tiara sat there with her usual half irritated look.

"Tipocane... one hell of a drug." said Nurse Redheart as she scribbled things down on a notebook. Diamond Tiara looked over at the Nurse. She pit the notebook down and looked at the two young ponies. "And you must be her children." Snails nodded. Diamond Tiara didn't. She stayed still, staring down at Piper as the see-through mask would fog up as she'd exhale.

Nurse Redheart left the room, closing the curtain behind her. Snails had tears in his eyes but made no sound. All that could be heard was the tiny droplet noises of the IV and the muffled breathing of the mare. The mother figure of the two ponies. "I...I never had a father." said Snails. He was mumbling so much Diamond Tiara could barely hear what he was saying. "And...Mommy is the only parent I had..." Snails rubbed a tear off the corner of his eye. He continued to look at Piper. Diamond Tiara glared, "Well...at least you have a parent. I barely even have mine-", "Sheesh Diamond Tiara! Can't you even see that mommy sees you as one of her own!?"

Diamond Tiara squinted her eyes in confusion, "wh-what?", "Why else would she of thrown you a party? Why would she of baked you all that cake and ask about how you were all the time? Sheesh Diamond," he said and started to laugh a bit through the tears going down his face, "You can be really stupid sometimes."

She laughed a bit at his last comment, feeling the tears fill her eyes. Hospitals always have a feeling going around them, the feeling of sadness and false hope. Diamond looked at the curtain where Nurse Redheart came back in. "She won't die, but she'll have to go through a lot of treatment...oh hang on"

Nurse Redheart smiled, she could see Pipers eyes beginning to open, she looked weakly over at Snails. Her gaze went to Diamond Tiara. She gave them both a weak smile and said in a sleepy voice, "hey you two..." Snails smiled and cried in joy, "Mommy! You're awake!" Nurse Redheart removed the gas mask but didn't pull out the IV.

Piper smiled as the two young ponies expressed their happiness of her being okay. She sat up in the bed and Snails crawled up and sat in front of her on the bed, Diamond Tiara staying on the chair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you two..." she put a hoof on Snails' head and caressed it. Diamond thought about what Snails mentioned earlier, about her being considered her daughter.

Redheart looked at Piper and walked over, "Rehab." Piper looked over at Redheart and choked out a single word, "What?", "Its the law, Miss Piper. Either you go to rehab or Snails is also taken away." Snails screamed and hugged his mom. Piper looked down at Snails and put her arm around him. "No no no! Noponies aloud to take her anywhere every again!"

Piper nodded. She hugged Snails tighter and looked over to Diamond Tiara in case me wanted a hug to, but she stayed, eyebrows scrunched up and looking away

The two ponies stayed at the hospital until it was nighttime. Snails was asked to sleep at a relatives until his mom was better. Snails was escorted out by his aunt. Diamond Tiara followed far behind, staying behind a bit from hesitating at the curtain to leave. She muttered silently, loud enough for Piper to hear, "I never had a real mother before." she turned and looked at Piper with a blank expression on her face, "thanks for the last couple of weeks. It was the most fun I've ever had in my life."

Piper lid her head back on the pillow and replied, "You're a good girl, Diamond Tiara."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Snails didn't come across Diamonds Tiaras house anymore. He was staying with a relative and was too far away to see. School was around the corner, according to the calender. She looked back onto the summer she had, remembering Snails and Piper, her party and how she got her cutie mark because of him. She smiled a bit and fixed the tiara on her head.

A week later, the same time, she was fixing it again as she walked towards the school. It was morning and time for classes to begin. With a sigh and a scoff, she lifted her head and walked. Entering the school and was welcomed by her friend Silver Spoon who instantly freaked out about her friends new cutie mark. "Oh my gosh, how did you get it?" she pointed her hoof at her tiara. "Too cool!"

A yellow pony caught her eye, she turned her head and saw Snails a mile or so away talking to Snips. She didn't smile or express any real emotion towards him anymore. She ignored him like she did everypony and Snails continued to spend all his time with Snips. Diamond Tiara and Snails never talked after that, only when they had to. Snails still kept his promise about her having a celebration for her getting her cutie mark, when he got enough money he got Pinkie Pie to host it, having her tell Diamond about it to avoid the awkwardness of talking to her again.

Now Snails lives with Snips, his mother having to stay in rehab longer than the two thought. Occasionally, while taking walks, Diamond Tiara will take a detour and walk past the cafe where she had her breakfast with Snails. The place where they first met, and other places too. She continued to wear her tiara as a little sign that she remembers Snails. A sign it was an amazing yet short friendship.


End file.
